HAMDEN, CT – The Iona College men’s soccer team fell to Monmouth University 2-1 Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the 2014 MAAC Championship. After a scoreless first half, the two teams combined for three tallies in the second 45 minutes of play.
Monmouth’s Matt Jeffery scored 85 seconds into the second half, when he headed in a corner kick by teammate Derek Luke. In the 65th minute, Andrew Gee flicked a shot inside the right post to give Monmouth a 2-0 lead.
Iona got on the board in the 78th minute, trimming the deficit to one. Senior Ignacio Maganto sent a pass into the box for Teddy Forson, and the sophomore responded with a shot to the right side for his second tally of the season.
In the 85th minute, the Gaels nearly scored the equalizer. Maganto put a shot on goal that Monmouth netminder Eric Klenofsky stopped, but couldn’t corral. Forson came in with a clear look at the net, but sent his shot over the crossbar.
Sophomore goalkeeper Julian Petrello and Klenofsky each made six saves in net for their respective clubs. Iona outshot the Hawks, 24-16 in the game, but Monmouth held an 8-7 edge in attempts on goal. Monmouth also took six corner kicks to Iona’s four.
The Gaels complete the 2014 season with a 9-7-3 mark, and 6-3-1 league record.